C&C seront très appreciées (C&C would be very appreciated)! My French 4 teacher would be so proud of me…^_^
Text in all italics denotes flashback
By Kat
Chapter 4: Desert Shadow
Himura Kenshin smiled grimly. Of course, he had known that Sanosuke would undoubtedly come to see him after the sovereign had received word of the latest raid. But he hadn’t slept in days, and it was going to be a long night…
Upon spotting his friend’s approaching horse, Kenshin wearily lifted himself from his comfortable spot by the flickering fire and began making his way towards the entrance to the camp. How else would the emperor of Kahaktri be allowed access to the Hitokiris current encampment?
“Himura,” Sanosuke greeted him with a tired smile, “I see you are doing well, my friend.”
“As well as one can in this godforsaken desert,” the redhead replied, shaking his friend’s hand as they clapped each other on the back. “So Sano, to what honor do I owe this visit by the emperor himself?”
They had begun walking towards Kenshin’s private tent near the fire, Sanosuke’s eyes turned to the starry sky above and the Battousai’s eyes to the ground below. “It has always seemed a great amusement of yours to ask questions to which you already know the answers. You haven’t changed since we were kids, you know that?”
“I suppose it’s just an old habit from those days that I just never really rid myself of,” Kenshin rejoined with a small smile. By this time they had reached the tent and stepped inside, settling themselves comfortably against the many pillows scattered about the floor. “That raid today was not done in any malice against your county, Sano.”
“Oh?” the emperor returned, raising an eyebrow. “I suppose, then, that it was meant to help us. But I fail to see the benefit of having some of the most important military documents in the hands of the most renowned gang of marauders in my country.”
Despite the fact that the words were spoken in a razor sharp tongue, the swordsman knew there his friend intended no spite. He was tired, and so was Kenshin. Being the central pillar to different groups of people was beginning to take its toll on each of them. “Are you therefore saying that you wish to go to war against Nihamra and lose?” he stated soberly, staring at Sanosuke.
“N..no!” the sovereign stammered, dumbfounded. “What does a war with our greatest enemy have to do with you stealing the military’s property?!”
“Plenty,” Kenshin answered evenly. “You see, I did not take those papers on an impetuous whim, Sano. I have no use for such things. However, the Nihamran government does.”
The implications of his words ran frantically through Sanosuke’s mind. Is my country going to be invaded? Is that what he’s saying?! He couldn’t even form words to speak; this was drastically unexpected, to say the least.
“As a piece of advice, my friend, exercise more caution when deciding who to appoint to some of the highest levels of leadership. Some men are corrupted to the core. Your commanding general, Hajime Saitoh, is one such man,” the bandit leader explained coolly.
“You mean…he…he was going to…”
“…Sell off those military papers at a very handsome price to the Nahamran government. And he would have become a very wealthy man, indeed. That is, had I not discovered his impending treachery and taken the documents before he could hand them over to the enemy.”
Sanosuke immediately felt a pang of guilt. He had jumped straight to the same conclusion everyone else had: the Hitokiris were attempting to create some real problems for Kahaktri by riding off with those papers. Knowing he had made a terrible mistake, he quickly apologized to his friend.
Kenshin merely dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. “Do not dwell on it; it was an expected misunderstanding,” he claimed calmly. “Just remember: My men and I may be outlaws, but that doesn’t mean we don’t wish to protect our country. You have been good to us, Sano.”
A small chuckle escaped the emperor’s throat at his friend’s statement. “Yes, I suppose not having you thrown into the dungeon by now is a good reason to protect this country. It’s the only place where you won’t be imprisoned for raiding towns.”
The two laughed at the truth in those words.
Since neither of them had had anything close to a meal that day, they ate and drank together for a while longer, sharing stories of their current life and reminiscing about those from times before. Finally, after the moon’s bright light had begun to soften with the coming day, Kenshin turned to his childhood friend and asked him a question he had been pondering since he became a marauder. “Hey Sano, why haven’t you ever even tried to stop me from attacking your towns? It doesn’t seem to me that such a thing could aid your country in any way.”
Smiling in amusement, the sovereign simply replied, “You’re my friend and have been since my mother was killed when I was five. You were the first person to arrive at my sister’s funeral three years ago. You’re also one of the only people that talks to me like I’m a person instead of a deity.”
The redhead grinned in return. “I guess that makes sense in some emotional sort of way,” he rejoined, still smiling. “Thank you.”
“Anything at all for a friend. Of course, you do realize that I can only continue this charade of tracking you down as long as no one is killed, Kenshin.”
“Yes, I know. But you need not worry about that; I made a promise years ago, didn’t I? Not even this gypsy’s curse of mine can force me to break it.”
Nodding in understanding, Sanosuke mounted his chestnut colored horse and set off for Sumaktra. Sand, dunes, and occasional trees all flew by in a blur. He had to hurry; his guests were arriving today.
*-*-*-*-*-*-
“But Kenshin, do you think you can lay low with the raids for a little while?” he asked, taking another bite from his wild nekcihc. “I have a very special friend who is arriving tomorrow and I don’t want her and her companion to feel their safety is in any danger.”
“Of course,” the marauder assured him, taking another sip
of his water. “But if you don’t mind my asking, who is this friend of yours and
her guest?”
Sanosuke smiled as he recalled the memories of his close
childhood friend from Torahika. “Kamiya Kaoru. And her companion is
named…Takani Megumi, I believe.”
*-*-*-*-*-*-